


Writer's block in progress

by nebul4ma



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Eventual Romance, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-22
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-05-16 02:41:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19308976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nebul4ma/pseuds/nebul4ma
Summary: You know in movies or comics where a lone person gets jumped in an alley only to be saved by a hero?Such a cliche trope, one John doesn't really like, especially as a best selling author who is known for coming up with unique story lines. Granted, he's anonymous and no body knows his real name or face, he still takes pride in his achievements. But being a socially anxious guy in his 20s gets in the way of a lot.Including freezing up when faced with muggers in an alley way at 3am. Makes you want to believe that that trope might happen in the real world





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ya boi is back!! And I'm writing for homestuck again oof. As much as I love ML, sometimes I gotta write about some boys. For those who have read my ML works: idk if or when I'll finish the ones that are still a wip, I haven't been in the mood to write for ML for a while. We'll see!
> 
> Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy this one! I'm not sure which relationship will be the main one yet, so I have a bunch listed ^^''''
> 
> There will be some triggering things later on, I will warm in the notes of those chapters that there will be triggers!!

Tap-tap-tap..... tap-tap....

"You know, you could acknowledge when someone walks I to your apartment," a voice called right next to John's ear, making him jump slightly. 

He took his hands away from the keyboard and pushed against his desk, causing his chair to spin. "You know you could knock or announce your arrival when you walk into my apartment," John shot back with a slight smile.

The woman, his editor Rose, was the only person other than his dad that was allowed into his apartment. She had been his best friend all through high school, and even joined a publishing firm to help me his dream come true. Plus she liked reading books and articles before anyone else got to read them.

She pursed her lips, matte black lipstick making her look a touch more serious than she usually was. Which was hard, because Rose was a pretty serious person to begin with.

"You haven't been eating, have you? You look thin. At least go to the convenience store and get some cup noodles or even just the packs of ramen," she chided, picking up one of the many empty bottles of water lining the edge of his desk. "At least you aren't depriving yourself of water."

John spun back around. "I've been busy. The deadline is coming up fast for the first draft of my next book, and I know how you get when it gets close and I'm no where near finished."

Rose hummed and sighed before reaching into the grocery back he hadn't noticed she had with her and pulled out a sandwich. His favorite sandwich, to be precise. His eyes widened and his stomach growled loudly. He hadn't realized how hungry he was.

"You can have this," she started, holding it just out of his reach. "If you promise me you'll go to the store tonight to get some food. All you have here is water, and a bag of chips. You need something more substantial than that."

He huffed and crossed his arms. He hated going outside. Rose knew that, but she tried to make him go out anyway. He had... reasons he didn't like going out into public. 

She raised a perfect eyebrow, witing for an answer. With a groan, he finally conceded. "Alright, you win. I'll finish this chapter and them I'll go get some meal food."

Rose smiled and handed him the sandwich which he promptly unwrapped and bit into. He knew she wouldn't have actually kept the sandwich from him, but she worried that he would croak from lack of nutrition. Which was entirely possible.

When he got into the zone, he would write for days on end with no sleep and no food, other than chips, and he would drink bottles upon bottles of water. He couldn't help it, writing was his passion.

Ever since preschool, he knew he wanted to be a writer. He was constantly writing short stories, which, as he got older, evolved into novellas, and then into novels. By sixteen, he had already been published in a magazine. Due to certain circumstances, there was no picture included and the author was just labeled 'J.E.'

By graduation, he had already been recruited to a publishing firm by his best friend, Rose. She had graduated way early, and was hired just after John graduated and immediately brought him on as one of their authors.

He was an instant hit.

He wrote all kinds of things, for all age groups. Mostly fantasy/adventure stories, the occasional sci-fi series, stuff like that. It seemed like he would never run out of ideas!

Rosen's phone rang, distracting John mid chew. After checking it briefly, she sighed. "Looks like theres an issue with you know who. I swear, if they keep jumping from country to country, the publishing house will go broke."

She was talking about John's cousins, Jade and Jake. Well, Jade was his cousin and Jake was his friend, but they were so close that they felt like family. They were both archaeologists, and wrote about their adventures in discovering new areas, ancient civilizations, and other nature's wonders.

Only problem was they constantly missed their rough draft deadlines because they were too busy exploring. It was a good thing their books raked in the dough, otherwise the publishing house's president would probably drop them.

"That wont happen. They're too popular. They're the only people with the gall to go to the kinds of places they visit," John said, cracking open a new bottle of water. "When are they supposed to come back?"

Rose hummed and checked her calendar. "They should be back in two weeks to go over the plan for the signing event  for their newest book," she paused. "They asked if you'd want to go this time."

John set the sandwich down, and turned back to his computer. "No one knows who I am, and they would ask questions if they saw me there. Especially since it would look like I was there helping with the event. You know it would probably end badly."

He felt hand land on his shoulder. "High school was a few years ago now. Those people... they can't hurt you anymore. I know how you feel, John, but you'll have to come out of the dark at some time. When you are, we'll all be here. We all have your back."

John nodded his head just barely. He hated when she brought it up... he knew the demand for him to reveal his identity was high. People wanted to meet him, get autographs, and ask him questions. But there were things he was afraid of coming to light.

With a sigh, he heard her mutter a soft goodbye, and leave his apartment. 

 

\--------------------

 

A groan escaped his lips as he leaned back in his chair, arms stretched above his head. Looking at his cloak, he groaned again. 3 am.

It had been about six hours since Rose visited him. He still hadn't gone to get food yet.

Well, it wasn't tomorrow yet, not until he slept, so he wasn't breaking his promise... that's what he told himself, at least.

He slid out of his chair, stretching again as he walked to his room. He stopped in front of his mirror, checking his clothes for stains. He was dressed in pjs, but he didn't want to look like a total wreck. Luckily, his blue plaid pj pants looked clean,  this short looked a little dirty, so he swapped it for a simple black tee. Slipping on his flip flops and throwing on a hoodie, with the hood up to cover the absolute mess that was his hair, he grabbed his wallet and walked out of the apartment.

There weren't many people put at 3am. Which was perfect for him. The less interacting he had to do with people the better. Despite the lack of humans around him, he kept his hands in his pockets and his head down, doing his best to draw as little attention to himself as possible.

The store was about a fifteen minute walk from his apartment. He didn't mind walking there, especially at night. He was soon walking into the store. The clerk, who he had nervously acquainted himself with when he first moved in, gave him a nod and smile, which he returned before grabbing a basket. He busied himself with grabbing actual meal type items instead of snacks. A few packs of ramen, a couple sandwiches, he even grabbed a couple microwave meals since he knew Jade would get made if he didn't eat something with more variety. He believed he could survive off noodles, bread, cold cuts, and cheese, but Jade yelled at him about it all the time.

As he debated between frozen meals, the store bell rang. He glanced over and saw three very tall men, all with blond hair, and all wearing shades. They looked like they were in a gang. Just the assumption made John anxious. The went right to the counter, each asking for a different kind of cigarette. The clerk hummed, then said "looks like I'm out of one of those. Let me check in the back real quick, I'm sure I've got more back there."

The one with triangle shades and a baseball cap nodded, straightening up. He had had to bend a bit to see the cashier. The other two were only a bit shorter. And all three were incredibly handsome, despite their sunglasses blocking half their faces.

Wait... why was he staring?!

John quickly busied himself with the frozen meals again, throwing a couple in his basket and then grabbing a small pack of water bottles, before realizing he probably wouldn't be able to carry a bunch of bags plus a case of water. He still had some at home, plus he could refill empty bottles with tap water if he ran out.

He slowly meandered up to the counter, waiting a good distance behind the three men, a bit overwhelmed by their presence. The store clerk came back soon after John got in line, look il ng apologetic.

"Sorry, looks like I'm out. Want to pick a different brand?" He asked.

The shortest of the three hummed. "Yeah, but give me a second to look. I haven't tried anything else in years. Take care of that kid first," he replied, gesturing to John. 

Kid? He felt insulted. He was already 24! Hardly a kid. But... he wouldn't correct him.

The three stepped out of his way, and he nodded his thanks before stepping up. He set the basket kn th counter and helped the clerk take his items out. The shortest man, despite having moved out of the way, was still standing pretty close, looking over the shelves of cigarettes behind the counter.

John couldn't help but glance at him. Unlike the other two, his hair wasnt spiked up. It lay smooth against his head and brushed against the top of his glasses. Of the three, his hair was the lightest, but the other two were a close second. He was also the scrawniest, but he could still see muscle in his arms. Same with the others. The one on the baseball cap seemed pretty ripped...

"Your total is on the screen, John," the clerk said, snapping him out of his thoughts. He quickly pulled out his card and put it in the machine. Taking the reciet, he grabbed his bags and hastily stepped out of the store, feeling the eyes of the three men follow him out.

 

\--------------------

 

"Was that...?"

"I think so. But I couldn't tell. It's been years."

"Watch. Looks like we aren't the only ones whose interest he caught."

"Still getting into trouble, I see. Let's go. Wouldn't want an old friend to get killed in the streets."

"Damn, Bro. So morbid."

 

\--------------------

 

John took his time heading home. It was still a few hours before people started to fill the streets. And the night air was sort of calming.

As he walked, his mind drifted back to the three men at the store. They were... really handsome. He almost wished he had had the confidence to at least say hello to them, or thank them for letting him cut in front of them. But... they seemed kind of familiar too. He couldn't place it.

All of a sudden, an arm draped around his shoulders, a hand gripping him rather tightly.

"Got some heavy bags there, kid. What're you doing out here so late. Dont you have school or somethin?"

A cold shiver ran down his spine. He glanced over and saw a stranger standing over him, reeking of alcohol. He stuttered softly, his anxiety and fear starting to rise.

The stranger mocked his stuttering and John heard a chorus of laughter from behind them. Just great...

Suddenly he was being steered down an alleyway and shoved against the wall. His shaking hands dropped the bags and he stared up at the stranger.

"You dont recognize us do you? We were in high school together. Of course, we graduated before you. Though I hear some of our younger buddies kept you plenty busy," he mused, a malicious grin spreading across his face. 

John's heart was racing, eyes wide with fear. These guys... they made his life hell. He thought they had all moved away for college or something. Yet here they were, drunk and blocking every possible escape route.

He had to try something. But he was frozen to the spot. His vision started to blur, his breathing got shallow, and he couldn't comprehend a single word they were saying to him.

Suddenly his head cracked to the side, making him stumble and fall. He tasted blood in his mouth and tears started to fall due to the pain.

A swift kick to his stomach came next, making him cough and cry out. More laughing followed, and suddenly they were all on him, kicking and punching.

And then, as quickly as it started, it stopped. Having closed his eyes against the pain earlier. He opened them now to find the three blonds from the store kicking his assailants asses. 

Why would they help him?

 His vision started to fade out. His body hurt, and he wouldn't be surprised is he had sone broken bones. The last thing he saw was the blond with the hat, scooping him carefully.

 

\--------------------

 

"I dont think he'd want to be in a hospital. If he's still how I remember, it'll just make him panic."

"That's fine. Dirk and I have enough medical knowledge to take care of him. If he has any broken bones, though, hell have to go in. But that can be discussed later."

"He's probably still friends with Lalonde. I can give her a call once we get him back to our place."

"It didn't look like he recognized any of us. Wont he just freak out when he wakes up in a place that's not his?"

"He probably will, but it cant be helped. We dont know where he lives. It'll work out."

 

\--------------------

 

The bed he was on felt really comfy. He didn't remember his bed being so comfy. Nor the pillows being just the right amount of soft, or the blankets being so warm and fluffy.

He shifted and was met with quite a lot of pain. He gasped, eyes popping open. The room... was definitely not his room. He attempted to sit up, but the pain was too much. He flopped back down.

He laid there for a moment before the door opened, in walked one of the blonds from the store. The one with spiky hair and triangle shades.

"Oh you're awake," he said, a bit if surprise in his voice. There was the thumping of foot falls  and the spikey haired man was shoved out of the way by the blond with round shades.

"Took you long enough! You've been out for hours," he said, striding over and taking a seat on a chair next to the bed, helping John sit up. The tallest of the three with the baseball cap walked in last, leaning on the door frame. 

"You were beat up pretty bad. Luckily no broken bones," baseball cap said.

Johns eyes flitted from one man to the next, confusion and fear mixing together. Who were these guys? And why did they help him? Why did they bring him to their home?

Spikey hair walked over, sitting on the edge of the bed. "He's terrified. He doesn't remember is at all. We should probably reintroduce ourselves before he goes full blown panic on us," he said. He looked at John, tilting his head.

"Probably a good idea," baseball cap said. "Names Bro. Bro Strider. My two younger brothers, Dirk and Dave, went to school with you."

John's eyebrows furrowed, confused, and then realization dawned on him. That's why they looked so familiar! How could he have forgotten them? Well... they moved just before high school. They were quite a bit older now, and looked really different. 

"But how...?"

"How what?" Dirk pressed.

"How did we know it was you?" Bro finished. John nodded, still feeling pretty nervous despite knowing who they were now.

Dave rubbed the back if his neck. "We may be older, but you haven't changed much. You look similar, and you act the same. It was pretty easy to figure out. Plus, we know you wouldn't move from this town. It was just a matter of time before we ran into you again."

John looked down at his hands. This was... a lot to process. Old friends from ten plus years ago suddenly back, and he ran into them just before getting attacked, and they happen to recognize him and jump in to save him.

Bro pushed off the door frame. "We called your friend Rose. Shell be here soon, but you need to stay and rest. You took a lot of hits, kid," he said softly. "Maybe dont go out in the middle of the night like that again. Something worse could have happened."

John flinched at his words, despite the gentle way they were said. Something worse?

"hey, Bro! You didn't have to say that to him!" Dave chided, suddenly looking distraught. 

Looking at his hands again, he saw tear drops falling onto his fingers. He lifted a hand and wiped his face. But he just smeared the tears across his cheeks, making his face wet.

"Go get him a tissue or something, you heartless prick!" Dave whispered harshly to Bro, who threw his hands up and left the room. Dave followed, leaving John sobbing silently in front of Dirk. 

There was silence for a moment before Dirk reached over and patted John's head. "Deep breathes, dude. Bro can be an ass about things sometimes, but he usually has everyone's best interest in mind. Besides, you weren't hurt that bad."

John glanced over at him. "After so many years... you all treat me as if you haven't seen me for a few days. Why? I dint understand..."

Dirk thought for a moment. "Well you were a really good friend to all three of us. We considered you part of the family, which us a big thing for us Strider's. We don't forget family."

Those words made John's heart hurt a bit. They considered him family and never forgot about him. Yet he had forgotten about them. Had his life been so crazy that he forgot about people that he was so close with?

Suddenly, Rose burst into the room, worry etched into her face. Upon seeing John, bandaged but awake and seemingly fine, she relaxed and sank to her knees next to the bed.

Dirk got up and left, leaving John to get an earful from Rose alone.

And John couldn't help but feel his life was about to get crazy now that these three were back in his life.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oof! Sorry for a super late update. I've had some medical stuff going in and havent had the time or energy to write. My appointments will be over in another couple weeks and I'm hoping I'll be able to stick to a semi regular updating schedule. Unfortunately, I cant make any promises though.

John laid in bed, his room dark to match his current state of mind.

Other people probably wouldn't have been affected like this, his mind was... blank. 

When he got home just a few days before, he sat in front of his computer immediately and tried to get back to work. He reread a bit of what he had written before he went to the store, and was about to start working again but... he could think of what to wrote. He didn't know how to continue the story.

He was blocked.

First, he got anxious. He shot out of the chair and started to pace. Panic rising, he knew he had to calm down.

So he called Jake.

His best friend who was more like family was the only one he wanted to talk to when he started to panic. It had been happening less and less, as the years since high school grew larger, so he was calling Jake less and less. Which in a way was good, but also not since that was less he got to hear his friends voice. And with how much travel he and jade did, he rarely got to see him, too.

"You're ok, John," he told him. "You'll pull out if this in no time. And when you do, you'll crank out that book and dive head first into the next."

It wasn't a long conversation, but it was what he needed. But as soon as he hung up the phone, all he wanted to do was curl up in bed. Shutting off his computer and all the lights, he wrapped himself in a blanket, and that's where he laid for the next few days.

Rose had come daily to check in him, but he barely moved. She tried to talk him into getting out of bed, but he just curled up tighter. He hadn't felt this miserable in a long time.

A knock on his door sounded, breaking his depressive mood and causing him to sit up in confusion. He never got people knocking on his door. Even his neighbors knew not to bother him. That, and everyone who he was close with had a key to his place so they could come and go as they pleased.

He was about to lay back down and ignore it when there was another knock. With a huff, he gathered his blanket around his shoulders and trudged over to the door. 

Muttering annoyances, he unlocked the door and opened it, eyes widening at his visitors.

"What... what are you all doing here?"

Dave, Dirk, and Bro all stood outside of his apartment. 

Dave pushed past him, examining the apartment, while John was distracted by the sudden entrance, the other two followed. With a sigh, he shut the door. "Come right in, great to have you here... unannounced." He whispered to himself as the three settled in.

"Rose called, said you were depressed." Dirk said, scanning a shelf of books John had in his living room.

John blinked. That was a blunt way to put it. Kind of rude, too. But unfortunately, it was a pretty accurate description of how he felt at the moment. 

Bro swatted the middle brother upside the head. "She didn't say that. She said you were in a slump and in need of some cheering up."

He blinked again. Why was rose enlisting these three to help him? Sure, they were old friends, but he hadn't seen them in years. He didn't know if they remembered much about him, enough to help him cheer up. 

Dave walked over, looking him up and down, making John take a step back, raising an eyebrow.

"First things first, you need to change. Let's go, go find something suitable for the public eye," Dave said, gently pushing him towards his room.

John locked his legs, spinning around to face him. "Why? What are you planning? I dont want to go anywhere."

Dave tilted his head, while John rambled.

"Its just... I'm not in the mood. I want to stay home. You all probably have better things to do anyway than watch over me all day. Rose doesn't have to know that you guys just checked in and left."

Dave stared at him for a moment, then ducked down, his shoulder connecting with John's  stomach gently and hoisting him up so he was hanging over his shoulder. He was so surprised it took him a moment to start protesting and flailing.

"Easy, killer," Bro mused. "Nothing high key, we're just going to take you somewhere to, hopefully, relax."

John pursed his lips and stopped flailing. He supposed it could be worse. But it still didn't mean he was excited.

 

\--------------------

 

John hugged his knees to his chest, shifting uncomfortably. Why did they have to take the train?

None of the brothers would tell him where they were going. But he assumed that wherever it was, it would be busy, considering the train was packed. And it didn't help that he was with three incredibly  handsome guys that stood out like a sore thumb. He slumped in his seat while pulling g up the hood in his navy pull over, staring out the window.

Bro sat next to him, while Dave and Dirk sat in the seat in front of them. 

"You really dont like being in crowds, do you, kid?" He heard bro ask quietly.

John shrugged. "Good things rarely come out of being surrounded by a bunch of people."

Bro chuckled, the sound a deep rumble that made John feel... oddly pleased?

"Not necessarily, kid. Most of the times you're invisible, so you can go around doing whatever you want. Most of the time, people are too caught up in what they're they're doing to notice."

John hummed and shook his head. "Everyone is gonna notice us because of you three. It's all because you're..." he trailed off. Finishing that thought didn't sound like the beat idea.

But Bro wasnt going to let him off that easily. The eldest strider draped an arm over his shoulders and pulled him close, the lack of space between them making his face go a bit red.

"What? Dont mumble, kid, I have old man ears."

John grumbled and tried to pull away, but Bro held him close. He huffed, avoiding the other's eyes. "Because all three of you are attractive."

Bro grinned, leaning back, but keeping his arm around John. "Well I appreciate the compliment. You're not too bad yourself."

That made John go even more red. Why was he stuck in this situation? He pulled his hood down causing bro to laugh, but not push the matter.

He saw Dave turn around out of the corner of his eye and scowl. "Would you stop hanging all over him, Bro?"

At that, bro pulled John closer again, causing a little noise of protest. Bro grinned as he looked at his brother. "I got the seat next to him, so I can do what I want. Besides, he hasn't told me to stop yet."

"Silence doesn't mean consent," Dirk pipped up, not even bothering to turn around, his eyes glued to his phone. 

Dave gestured a hand to Dirk, raising his eyebrows and staring Bro down. Bro scoffed and finally released John, who finally got to sit back how he wanted to.

Dave looked at John. "Dont let him mess with you if you dont like it, dude. Bro is an asshole, but he wont make you uncomfortable on purpose."

"Watch your fucking language, kid," bro said shooting Dave a look, which Dave returned with a middle finger.

John was... intrigued, watching the exchanges between the three brothers. They had an interesting relationship, but it was close knit. John smiled a little. 

"Aha! Theres a smile!" Dave exclaimed, looking excited. It startled John out of his smile, a confused look on his face.

Dirk turned around. "We bet on when you would smile. Dave bet you would before we got to our destination. Though none of us saw it, so I dont know if we should count it."

"Nah, the kid smiled. It was little, but he did. Dave won the bet," Bro said, reaching into his coat. Dirk shook his head and reached into his coat, too, each pulling out a hundred dollar bill.

John watched, fascinated. Who bets a hundred dollars in whether or not someone will smile and when?

These three, that's who. John just shook his head, using his hand to hide another smile as he looked out the window.

He still had no idea where they were going.

 

\--------------------

 

"I didn't think it would be this busy. I guess more people like this stuff than I thought," Dave said, staring out over a sea of people.

John was currently in fan boy mode and not processing anything the 3 brothers said. He almost didn't even care that there were so many people.

It was a convention, of sorts, but not anime or comics. This was for classic and popular movies, with set props and a list of famous actors here for signings.

And then he saw it. Voice actors from Into the spider verse were doing autographs. And when John looked at the list, ome name stood out.

Nicholas. Fucking. Cage.

"We have to go to this hall. Right now," he said loooomg around desperately for a map. He found one, one of the back lit ines that had a sticker saying 'you are here' on it to show where that map was located. Scanning it, and then grabbing a smaller paper map, he started walking off.

"Wait up John!" He thought he heard Dave yell before the sounds of the crowd washed over him. He got to the line and, luckily, the line hadn't started quite yet so he was ine of the first in the room where the autographs were being held. Long rows looped back and forth through the room for people to line up through.

In the course of only 20 minutes, the line was filled. And in another half hour after that, the voice actors came in. John didn't have anything to get autographed, but they had exclusive little prints for everyone at this signing.

Nicholas Cage signed print in hand, he walked out of the hall, huge smile on his face. 

"I cant believe I just met Nicholas Cage! How awesome is-" he stoooed, having turned around to see that the three brothers were no where to be seen. When... when had they become separated? He was so distracted with getting to the signing he didn't even realize he had lost them.

Now in a situation like this, any normal person would stay put and probably try to contact whoever it was they were with.

John, however, was definitely not a normal person.

Frantic, he looked around. Where were they? He started moving. Maybe they were close by? What if they were still at the entrance? What if they had decided to go off on their own since that's kind if what john did? Why did they have to drag him out today... Rose wasn't here, Jake and Jade weren't here, and now Bro, Dave, and Dirk were missing. Or was he missing.

"Hey, dude, are you ok?" A loud voice asked. John spun around to see a tall blonde woman with hair like Rose's, only longer, and eyes that looked pink in the fluorescent lighting.

"Not so loud Roxy, he looks terrified enough as it is," another girl said. She was John's height and on the plump side. If he didn't know any better, he'd say she was his sister.

"Oops. Sorry. I can be louder than I mean to sometimes. You look lost, do you need help finding anyone?"

John nodded slightly. He felt like such a child...

"My name is Jane," said his look alike. "This is my friend Roxy. There are some tables nearby. Let's go sit down, and you can tell us who you're looking for. Sound good?"

John nodded again, taking a deep breath. He liked her. She had a very calming effect in the way she spoke. Roxy wasn't bad, she was nice too, just a little loud. He wasnt expecting that.

At least now, he might get somewhere instead of going into full blown panic.

 

\--------------------

 

"JOHN!" 

The trio of voices started John enough that he sprang out of his chair. Whirling around, he was barely able to brace himself in time for dave to crash into him.

"Damn it John we were looking everywhere for you!" Dave said into his ear. Roxy sauntered up, chuckling as she took a seat in the table next to Jane. After telling them who he had come with, Roxy had gone out to find them. It definitely hadn't taken her very long.

"I'm not that old yet, kid, but I just about had a heart attack when we lost you in the crowd. Dont do that again, or I'll get you one of those back pack leashes they use for little kids." Bro said, patting john on the back. Dave still hadn't let go. John didn't remember him being so clingy. 

"I... I'm sorry..." he replied softly, arms coming around Dave. "I swear I thought you were all right behind me."

Dirk shook his head, sitting down on a nearby chair. "No use getting upset about it. We found you, so theres nothing to sorry about now," he looked over at Jane and Roxy. "Thanks for helping him out, ladies."

Jane smiled. "Happy to help," she replied, and Roxy nodded. "He seemed like he was lost more than most usually are. It wouldnt have been right to leave him."

John said a quiet thank you as dave finally let him go. The ladies insisted in exchanging numbers with all four of them, so they did that and were then on their way.

 

\--------------------

 

"He looks so helpless when he's asleep," Dave mused, looking back towards John. 

They had spent the rest of the convention walking around to the various merch booths and artist booths. John seemed happy once they were all back together, but he also seemed to get exhausted quickly. No matter how many times the brothers asked if he wanted to head home, he said no and that he wanted to stay longer. However, ince they got onto the train, he was dead to the world.

"It was a long day. Can't say I blame him," Dirk replied, carefully removing his hoodie, balling it up, and gently shifting John's head to place it between him and the window.

Bro hummed, having gotten the seat next to John again. "Well let's hope it cheered him up at least a bit. Let's keep the little tid bit about us losing him to us. Wouldnt want Rose having a conniption."

All three of them shuddered and went quiet. But all three hoped that they could pull John out of his slump soon.


End file.
